"Are you guys ready to party?" Officials kick off Worcester Red Sox bash at City Hall

Monday

Sep 17, 2018 at 6:49 PMSep 17, 2018 at 6:54 PM

Roughly a 1,000 people came out to the Worcester City Common Oval to celebrate the deal struck by the Red Sox and city to move the Triple A team to Worcester.

State, city and team officials walked down a red carpet that spanned the length of the Common before addressing the crowd.

Perhaps the highlight of the speaking portion, former Red Sox great Pedro Martinez stole the mic from PawSox President Larry Lucchino to say he has a new nickname for Worcester.

“This is going to be the heart of New England,” he said. “No longer the commonwealth. The heart of New England.”

Martinez’s remarks drew raucous applause from the crowd.

Shortly before he spoke, Lucchino broke the news that the deal had cleared all levels of approval within professional baseball, including the international leauge, minor league baseball and major league baseball.

“It is now official,” he said.

The event featured an unveiling of five large banners hanging off the back of City Hall while Worcester’s youth orchestra played. Food trucks, free Worcester Red Sox gear and montages of Red Sox baseball were also included in the celebration.

Some partygoers came in full costume. Devon Kurtz of the Blackstone Heritage Corridor wore a full replica uniform of the “The Worcesters,” the city’s national league baseball team from 1880-1882. The white cotton uniform came complete with an ornate blue “W” as a logo.

“We’re here to celebrate Worcester’s new baseball team” Kurtz said.

Police closed down the streets surrounding City Hall around 3 p.m., as crews set up for the party. Booths, food trucks, banners and jumbotron displays filled the common oval as people, many of whom were dressed in their best Red Sox gear, slowly trickled in. The back patio of city hall featured a speaking podium that faced the common oval, as well as seating for dignitaries and an orchestra.

Across Church Street, a demolition crew began demolishing the structure of the historic Notre Dame des Canadiens church, a fixture downtown since its construction in 1929. The crew ripped the top of the front facade and the top of both the front-facing spires before wrapping up work around 4 p.m.

Titled a “Grand and Glorious Civic Celebration” the city cast the party on the Common Oval celebrating a “marvelous and magical moment,” per a short write-up on a program passed to partygoers.

“Today, we recognize that the love in our hearts, the kindness in our souls, and the unity in our community have brought the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox to Worcester, Massachusetts,” the program read.

It also involved a large public subsidy. The PawSox and city agreed to a deal to construct an $86-90 million ballpark on vacant property in the Canal District. The deal was announced in mid August as was approved by the City Council by a vote of 9-1 last week. It requires the city to take out a $100.8 million loan, of which the team will contribute roughly $36 million, and the rest will be paid for by real estate taxes, parking fees and other revenue from the development district around the ballpark. The district is slated to include two hotels, an apartment building and retail and restaurant space.

The city will own the ballpark, called Polar Park, via the Worcester Redevelopment Authority, and the PawSox will manage the space.

City officials say the project will not lead to an increase in taxes, and it wont so long as revenue generated from parking, taxes and other fees exceeds the annual loan payment of roughly $3 million. The first year, city officials project a $770,000 surplus, and anticipate generating a $22 million surplus over the course of the 30-year loan.

Outside economists have panned the predictions as shaky, and say the city accepts too much of the financial risk with the public subsidy, which dwarfs others at similar parks.

Councilor Konnie Lukes, the only councilor to vote against the project, made those risks a key part of her opposition at the meeting last Wednesday. Other councilors said the risks are worth it.

Lukes was also the only City Councilor not in attendance at the event this afternoon.

Mayor Joe Petty opened up the speaking portion with excitement in his voice.

“Are you guys ready to party?” he said. He praised the deal as a community effort that will change the economic landscape of the city for a generation.

Lt. Gov Karyn Polito called the deal part of Massachusetts and Worcester’s “winning way” of doing business.

“And its the only way we’re going to continue to move a city like this forward in this commonwealth,” she said.

City Manager Ed Augustus received a standing ovation from those on stage as he addressed the crowd.

“This moment right now is my proudest as city manager,” he said.

He framed his comments with references to the famous Earnest Lawrence Thayer poem “Casey At The Bat.”

To end his speech, he delivered a revised ending to the tragic poem.

“Oh somewhere in this favored land, the sun is shining bright, the band is playing somewhere and somewhere hearts are light,” he said. “And somewhere men are laughing and somewhere children shout, and that somewhere is Worcester, for today there is no doubt. Congratulations, Worcester.”

The celebration is expected to continue, with fireworks and events at local bars and businesses, in the Canal District.